COVID-19 Update: Coronavirus Shakes Up the Industry

Over the last few weeks, the global outbreak of the coronavirus known as COVID-19 has roiled the entertainment technology industry, upending plans for long-scheduled trade shows and other events.

The sequence of events began with the postponement of Prolight + Sound Guangzhou, originally scheduled to be held February 19 - 22. New dates have not been announced.

Next, following the withdrawal of several exhibitors, Prolight + Sound, scheduled to run in Frankfurt March 31 - April 3, was postponed. The new dates are May 26 - 29. However, several exhibitors -- including ETC and High End Systems, Chauvet Professional, Adamson Systems, and Vari-Lite and Strand -- have announced plans to forego the show altogether this year. In contrast, Elation Europe recently issued a release announcing plans to exhibit at Prolight + Sound in May.

The postponement of Prolight + Sound shows the hazards of moving a date that has long been on everyone's calendar. "Planning our activities for Prolight + Sound is a significant undertaking that we look forward to each year," said David Lincecum, ETC vice president of marketing. "Although we were hopeful to attend this show, the new timeline conflicts with our corporate and marketing calendars already set in motion."

Instead of exhibiting, Chauvet has plans to focus on its Force of Nature product road show, which starts in the US this month and moves to Europe later on. Michael Brooksbank, general manager of Chauvet Europe, said, "The Force of Nature road show will give customers an under-the-hood look at new products and technologies we'd typically unveil at Frankfurt. Although we'll certainly miss the crowds, the camaraderie, and the special energy of Prolight + Sound, we are looking forward to saying hello to old friends, meeting new ones on the road, and to receiving the crucial customer input and feedback we thrive on."

ETC and High End have also withdrawn from exhibiting at the USITT Conference and Stage Expo, to be held in Houston April 1 - 4, although the companies still plan to conduct its training classes and speaker sessions at the show as scheduled. As of Tuesday morning, no other companies have made announcements regarding USITT.

At the same time, many large-scale entertainment events have been affected by the spread of the virus. The Ultra Music Festival and SXSW, the annual confab of film, music, and networking, have both been cancelled. According to Billboard, the Los Angeles Times, and Rolling Stone, the organizers of Coachella are in talks to move that event from May to October this year. The cities of Boston and Dublin have cancelled their St. Patrick's Day Parades. In related events, A&E Networks is replacing its upfront meeting, scheduled for March 25, with a virtual upfront on March 23. SAG-AFTRA, the union for film and television actors, is suspending all in-person meetings in addition to cancelling all nonessential travel.

As of this writing, there are 115,00 confirmed cases of the disease; 4,400 deaths have been reported worldwide from the coronavirus, with 26 in the US.

This is, of course, a developing situation. Check back with Lighting&Sound America for updates as they happen.